Tensions were high at the Council of Trustees meeting today, as trustee members responded to the public comments made by ESU’s APSCUF President, Dr. VanArsdale, regarding the APSCUF financial report.

“I’d like to know, if I’m right, is your goal in all this negativity that you’ve been working so hard—I assume your goal is to get the President to resign. Is that correct?” asked trustee, Harry F. Lee of VanArsdale.

“Our goal is to make sure that East Stroudsburg University remains a high quality educational institution,” said VanArsdale.

English Professor, Dr. Allan Benn, assured Lee that the goal of the faculty is not to get anybody to resign.

“My goal is to make sure that educational programs that I love, for students that I love, and an institution that I love do not get decimated because of I don’t know what,” said Benn.

Trustee members expressed concerns on the comments made by faculty in the APSCUF survey evaluation of President Welsh publicized at the last University Senate meeting.

“I will not be bullied into giving my response to a survey,” said Benn.

“We’ve sat here, and we’ve listened to this and now its time for us to say what we think,” said chairman Ross.

Director of Counseling and Psychological Services, John Abbruzzese, raised concerns regarding retrenchment of one faculty member at the Counseling Center.

“The question is not whether we can afford mental health services, but whether we cannot afford not to have mental health services,” said Abbruzzese. Abbruzzese implored the trustees to reconsider the decision of retrenchment of Counseling and Psychological Services.

Biology professor, Kathleen Brunkard, raised concern that the chemistry department has been directed by the administration to ask the biology department to consider dropping the requirements of the chemistry labs in their programs. Administration assured the professor that this was a rumor, and Provost VanReidhead declared her statement to be untrue.

“We have resolved that biology will need its core labs that it requires of chemistry,” said Reidhead.

“As we continue the negativity, it will continue in the paper, students see it, parents see it, and it will continue to affect our enrollment, thus making retrenchment next year again a possibility, “ said Welsh. “We can’t lose students, and keep faculty.”

President Welsh assured that strategic planning will continue, and it is in the hands of the strategic planning steering committee.

“Hopefully next semester will be much more positive,” said Welsh.

Vice President for Administration and Finance, Ken Long, assured that the administration will be closely reviewing the APSCUF financial report in the coming weeks.

“It’s a good firm, it appears to be, but they really were amateurs in their analysis,” said Long.